Lake Orion High School hosted Orion area seniors last week for brunch and a free performance of Peter Pan.
According to Senior Center Director, this is the second time they have partnered with Lake Orion High School to offer this opportunity to seniors, and over 240 seniors attended the event, approximately double the attendance of last year.
The Lake Orion Leadership class provided a catered brunch of pastries, fruit, biscuits and gravy, muffins, pieroges, juice and coffee for the seniors.
After brunch, the seniors settled into the Performing Arts Center and watched high school students take the stage and perform the musical Peter Pan.
‘The event was a huge success and both the drama department and the leadership class truly enjoy the event,? said Leadership Advisor Lora Hogan.
Peter Pan Director and LOHS Teacher Scott Boeneman said the students enjoy performing for the seniors.
‘We feel it is a wonderful opportunity to serve our community and interact with a portion of the Orion population that we may not see regularly, if at all,? he added. ‘The senior citizens were a great audience and the entire cast and crew were extremely excited about the opportunity to perform for them.?
Choir Director Deborah Fristad agreed with Boeneman and noted that they are looking forward to continuing this partnership.
‘We are thrilled to make this community connection and have our seniors get to know our students through this event,? she added. ‘The students really appreciate having the senior citizens support them in their artistic endeavor.?
According to Sokol, high school Principal Todd Dunkley and Assistant Superintendent Ken Gutman were on hand to greet the seniors, along with the Student Leadership class.
The school district’s Transportation Department provided eight buses to transport seniors to the brunch and performance, and Sokol offered special thanks to Jim Farrand and Nancy Hornacek for making that possible.
Oxford seniors didn’t get left out of the fun either, as the North Oakland Transporation Authority (NOTA) provided transportation for them.
All the various groups involved in this event said that they are looking forward to doing this partnership again in the future.
‘Plans are underway to continue this collaboration next year with the hope that we can fill the auditorium next year with seniors for this special performance,? Sokol added.